


A Midsummer Night's Remix

by fandomlimb



Category: SKAM (Norway), SKAM (TV)
Genre: Evakteket Challenge, Midsummer Night's Dream, Multi, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-12
Updated: 2018-02-05
Packaged: 2018-12-27 05:35:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12074529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandomlimb/pseuds/fandomlimb
Summary: Things don't go quite as planned when Eva, Adam, Noora and Mikael agree to go on a double date to A Midsummer Night's Dream at a dance club warehouse.Get together fic with literary/film references written for the Evakteket Anniversary Challenge!{Meant for this to be a one-shot but it looks like it's now a two-chaptered fic. Part 2 coming soon!}





	1. Chapter 1

Mikael didn’t do dates. Or Shakespeare. So someone really needed to explain how he’d just agreed to go out on a double date with Adam/Eva and Eva’s friend Noora to a ‘live action multi-media immersive theatrical dance club experience’ of _A Midsummer Night’s Remix_. Noora was the blonde who everyone and their 3rd cousin seemed to have a crush on and agreed was wife material. Everyone except Mikael, that is. Not that there was anything off-putting about her. They’d hung out in groups together and he could appreciate her from a distance as an aesthetically pleasing and perfectly nice person. But he felt as much chemistry with her as a head of lettuce.

It was the way Adam had asked him that he just couldn’t say no to. Adam with his pouty lips and squeaky voice and eyes so piercingly blue-green they looked like the ocean on a photoshopped ad for a Caribbean cruise line. They’d been chilling playing video games at Adam’s house when he brought up the whole double date idea.

“Come on, Mikey boy…”

“Don’t call me that.”

“You know I’ve been trying to get with Eva for ages. She finally agreed to go out with me as long as Noora can come, too. Please?” Adam jutted out his lower lip and then honest to God fluttered his eyelashes like a Disney princess.

“Why does Noora have to go on your date? Won’t she get in the way of…like…romantic shit?”

“Eva said she’s been down in the dumps over some ex. She needs someone to help her forget him. Someone like you.”

“I thought Elias and Yousef were all into her. Why don’t you ask one of them to go on the date instead?”

“Because I want you to go.”

“Why?”

“Because, man.”

“The whole night is going to be me trying to make small talk with her while you mack on Eva. That’s fun for me how?”

“Noora’s super chill and nice and hot. It’ll be fun. Plus this thing Eva wants to go to sounds legit. That’s why I want you to go. They turned this whole old factory building into a performance space slash masquerade slash rave. Totally artsy and shit. I thought you’d get some good ideas for one of your videos. Like _my_ music video that we still have to plan out,” Adam said and elbowed Mikael in the rib.

“Anytime anyone mentions a masquerade I immediately think of that creepy orgy scene in _Eyes White Shut_. You sure this whole date thing isn’t really an excuse for you to see me naked?”

“You wish,” Adam laughed.

“I still don’t get it. How does combining Shakespeare plus a dance club make any fucking sense?”

“Search me. But it’ll be fun. Please? Pleeeaase?” Adam wrapped a leg around Mikael’s lap and his arm around Mikael’s chest and nuzzled his hair against Mikael’s neck. Mikael felt the familiar tightening in his chest as he breathed in Adam’s peppery shampoo smell.

“You’re like a god damn spider monkey,” Mikael laughed. “That tickles. You need a hair cut.”

“Says the guy who hasn’t had a hair cut in like two years.”

“You love my hair.”

“It’s getting long enough to rock a man bun soon.”

“Fuck man buns. Shit, that came out wrong.”

They both laughed and Adam slipped his fingers through Mikael’s hair and gave a playful tug. Mikael’s breath sharpened.

“Come on the date with me, Mikey. When’s the last time you went on a date anyway? It’s been like a year since you even talked about crushing on anyone.”

Mikael swatted him away and untangled himself from the tight grip of Adam’s legs.

“Okay, okay, fine. I’ll go. But you can’t leave me alone with Noora. You know I’m not good at date stuff.”

“Sweet. I’ll text Eva that you’re in.”

Adam fished out his phone. Their knees were still touching and Mikael knew he probably should scoot further away to put some distance between him and his friend. But he was pathetic and had no self-control when it came to needing to touch Adam as much as possible, even though he knew the touching was strictly platonic on Adam’s part. Even though he’d just agreed to tag along on a whack-ass double date with a girl he wasn’t attracted to while another girl got to sidle up to his best friend. His best friend who he was without a doubt, 100%, desperately in love with. In the movie of his life, Mikael was the Duckie to Adam’s Andie. Not that he’d ever admit to watching a single rom-com, let alone relate to a John Hughes movie on an existential level. He was fucked, there was no way around it.

* * *

 

Eva’s mom was out of town, which meant free range to invite Chris over for the whole weekend if Eva wanted to. But she didn’t want to. Instead she’d set up a double date for her and Noora with Adam and his cute friend Mikael. She and Adam had clicked the night of the Bakka party back in April and had been Instagram and facebook DMing since then. She commented on all his crew’s youtube videos, too. But they hadn’t gone on a real date yet. Maybe because Eva knew how wary Sana had been at first about their two squads mingling. Or maybe for another reason Eva couldn’t quite put her finger on. Either way, Eva was restless and tired of the same group of boys from Nissen and had finally agreed to go on a date with Adam after his persistent flirting. She was in the mood for something new. And she’d been desperately trying to get Noora out of her post-London funk with so far limited success. Maybe a double date with two hot guys would do the trick and snap Noora out of the emotional zombie-hood that her break-up with William had caused.

Fucking William. To say Eva disliked him would be the understatement of the century. If Eva could have invented a time machine to stop his parents at the moment of his conception (and not screw up the rest of the world in the process) she would have been on that faster than you could say ‘Great Scott!’ and hop in a delorian. She hated how Noora was now a shadow of the fierce and funny girl Eva had met in first year (and crushed on like hell). That’s why Eva used Chris for sex but never got attached or expected anything more. Fuckboys with the emotional range of a toothpick don’t just change into tender loving soul mates over night, no matter what the storybooks and _Gossip Girl_ and _Twilight_ would have you believe.

Eva and Noora were in Eva’s room, getting ready for their double date. Since Noora didn’t drink, Eva had decided she wouldn’t either tonight. But she’d had another idea she was hoping she’d be able to convince Noora to go along with. (She wasn’t sure about the boys since they were Muslim but seemed a little more lax than Sana about ingesting certain substances). Her idea had involved calling up Isak/Even (the biggest potheads she knew) and asking them if they had any hookups for edibles. They’d come through with some gummies, which were now hidden away in Eva’s bedside drawer.

Noora sprawled on Eva’s bed while Eva combed through her closet for the perfect outfit. Noora looked perfectly put together as usual in her burgundy turtleneck and matching lipstick that Eva loved. Eva’s own style was a little more flexible depending on her mood. Sometimes she rocked the slacker-skater look, other times she went full party girl, other times she preferred non-binary street style. Tonight was definitely more of an androgynous night.

“So...this show rave thing tonight! I’m glad you told me about it. I never thought I’d be voluntarily going to see Shakespeare but this sounds really cool,” Eva said.

“Didn’t you like any of the plays they made us read in school?”

“I liked the movie versions. And _Shakespeare in Love_. But trying to read Shakespeare always makes me feel stupid for some reason.”

“That’s because I don’t think it was meant to be read. It was meant to be seen and listened to. In London I went to The Globe a few times and saw the outdoor performances there. Even though they were in English I still understood them better than if I’d been reading them on my own.”

“Did William go with you?” Eva asked and immediately regretted it when she saw Noora’s face shutter closed.

“No, plays aren’t really his thing.” Noora’s voice was quiet.

Eva sat down next to her on the bed. “Sorry, I don’t know why I asked that. We don’t have to talk about him.”

Noora rolled her shoulders back, clearly ready to change the subject. “Did I ever tell you I used to do acting? Back in middle school? I was in my school’s drama club and we did a Renaissance Faire night with different Shakespeare scenes. Guess who I played.”

“Ummm….Juliet?”

“Nope.”

“Jeez. What other Shakespeare girls are there. Lady Macbeth?”

“ _’Out damned spot! Out I say!_ ’ But nope.”

“The one who goes crazy and drowns? Ophelia?”

“I’ll give you a hint. It’s one of the characters from the show we’re seeing tonight.”

“Oh gosh, I forget their names! There’s like a short one and a tall one?”

“Okay, you’re terrible at this! I was Titania, the fairy queen!”

“Get out! No offense, but you don’t really seem like the fairy princess type.”

“Back in the day my hair was really long and I wore much girlier and flowy clothes. It was my 7th grade dream role, actually. We did the scene where she falls in love with the ass head.”

“I’m sure you were perfect. Do you remember any lines?”

“Oh wow. Hmmm. I think I need to look them up on my phone. Okay, right. Now I remember.

 _‘Come, sit thee down upon this flowery bed,_  
_While I thy amiable cheeks do coy,_  
_And stick musk-roses in thy sleek smooth head,_  
_And kiss thy fair large ears, my gentle joy.’”_

Noora’s voice became sing-song-y and lilting as she recited the lines. Her whole demeanor became light and graceful. Eva loved it.

“How is it I’m just finding out now that you’re a Shakespearean actress? What else have you been hiding from me? Do some more! I love how your voice sounds.”

Noora laughed and looked up more lines.

“Ok, you pretend you’re the sleeping ass character,” Noora directed and Eva layed down next to her.

“Great. The part I was born to play.”

Noora laughed and scooted close enough to Eva to wrap her arms around her.

_“’Sleep thou, and I will wind thee in my arms.  
Fairies, begone, and be all ways away.’”_

Noora flicked her fingers to dismiss invisible fairies, then cupped her hand on Eva’s cheek and ran her fingers through her hair gently. Eva’s heart was suddenly stampeding.  
  
_“’So doth the woodbine the sweet honeysuckle_  
_Gently entwist; the female ivy so_  
_Enrings the barky fingers of the elm._  
_O, how I love thee! how I dote on thee!’”_

Noora broke character and smiled at Eva, pulling her hand away. Eva touched the spot on her face where Noora’s warm, soft hand had just been.

“Noora, why didn’t you sign up for the revue or anything? You’re really good.”

“Nah, acting’s not my thing anymore. And the revue is all skits and stuff.”

“What did you like about acting? It scares the shit out of me to get up and talk in front of people let alone memorize all those lines. Dancing is okay though for some reason.”

“That’s because with dancing you’re almost someone else. Or accessing a different side of yourself. Same with acting. I don’t get nervous if I’m someone else, if that makes sense.”

“I think it does. Do you ever want to be? Someone else?”

“Not anymore. Well, sometimes, maybe.”

“I have an idea,” Eva smiled and wiggled her eyebrows.

“You have scheming face. This can’t be good.”

“So, I know you don’t drink and I totally respect that. But seeing as we’re going to a dance club Shakespeare rave whatever thing tonight, I thought it might be fun to try something new. And we’ll be together so it will be safe. Have you ever tried a weed gummy before? I got some from Isak.”

“A weed gummy? Really, Eva?”

“Yeah! I’ve only smoked weed, like, twice, because I was so disgusted about Jonas lying to me back in first year about it. But I’ve smoked with Chris a few times and it was awesome. Music sounds amazing and if you’re with someone you trust you probably won’t get paranoid. Won’t it be fun to go dancing and feel the music all the way inside you?”

“I’ve only smoked a handful of times, too. Aren’t edibles super strong, though?”

“We’ll try a half and see how it feels. What do you think? You in? I was thinking we wouldn’t eat them until we’re at the club so we won’t be out of it for most of the date. But I just…really liked the idea of getting kind of high and dancing with you.”

“With me? Or with Adam?”

Eva’s cheeks burned red. “You, Adam, whoever. I mean. I know you’ve been having a hard time being back since London and I haven’t really known how to help you. I thought tonight would be good to get your mind off things. You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I’m not going to go all peer pressure after school special on you.”

“No, you’re right. I’ve been feeling so crappy recently. Let’s do it.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“You sure?”

“I said yes!”

Eva squealed and hugged Noora. “This is gonna be great. Are you sure I can’t convince you to dress up as a fairy princess?”

“Don’t push it. And don’t make me regret agreeing to do marijuana gummies with you.”

“I won’t. Tonight is gonna be epic.”

* * *

Adam felt good. He was getting ready go on a date with the hot girl he’d been trying to get with for the last few months and Mikael had agreed to pre-game with him before their double date. Mikael had an on-again/off-again relationship with drinking. And it wasn’t that Adam actively tried to be a bad Muslim and get all his friends to drink with him, but sometimes he needed to cut loose and it was more fun if his friends cut loose with him. And Mikael had been so stressed lately about looking for a part-time job for the summer on top of his classes that Adam knew a night out would do them both good.

Adam was still living at home with his parents, so they’d decided to pre-game at Mikael’s dorm before meeting up with the girls at the show, which was at one of the run-down looking old buildings close to Bakka. Adam picked up some vodka and orange juice and took the tram to Grünerløkka student housing.

When he got to Mikael’s dorm, the door was unlocked but no one answered when Adam knocked. He opened the door and saw all the lights were out and Mikael was napping on his bed with his laptop screen open. A black and white movie Adam didn’t recognize was playing. Mikael looked so peaceful and perfect there asleep that Adam didn’t want to disturb him. He poured himself a drink and slugged it back. Then he crawled into Mikael’s bed, fitting himself into big spoon position behind him, and watched a little bit of the movie. It was mega old. The lead actor was handsome and debonair and for some reason he was wearing a frilly robe and there was a lot of shouting. Adam paused the movie and quit full screen so he could see the title. _Bringing Up Baby._ It was probably required viewing for one of Mikael’s film classes. Who would choose to watch a black and white movie by choice?

He snuggled close to Mikael, propping up his head with one hand and placing the other hand on Mikael’s shoulder, testing the waters with a gentle rub. Mikael was still out cold, breathing evenly and deeply. Adam nipped his ear. Nada. Wow this kid would probably sleep through a zombie apocalypse. Adam moved his hand down to the dip of Mikael’s waist. He inhaled deeply a few times, giving himself the luxury of breathing in his friend’s Old Spice-y scent before realizing he was probably being a little creepy and should wake Mikael up. He blew onto Mikael’s neck. Mikael twitched and pressed back so that Adam’s dick was suddenly getting well acquainted with Mikael’s (shapely) ass. And fuck if it didn’t feel really good. Mikael made a soft sleepy moaning sound and Adam’s insides turned to goo as his dick hardened uncomfortably in his jeans. He needed to abort immediately.

Adam sat up, adjusted himself, put a pillow on his lap just in case and then shoved Mikael with his feet. “Mikael, wakey wakey. Nap time’s over.”

Still no response. Adam flicked his ear and then decided _Fuck it_ and went full on wet willy.

“The fuck, dude?” Mikael shrieked. Definitely awake now. He squirmed and swatted Adam’s hand away. “Uch so fucking gross! Can’t you just wake someone up like a normal person?”

“Sorry, you were just too easy a target. Sleeping beauty and all.”

Mikael tried to retaliate with a wet willy of his own but Adam was too quick for him. They wrestled a bit before Mikael said, “Yo, watch out for my laptop. You break it you buy it.”

Adam tussled Mikael’s hair one last time before getting off the bed to pour himself another drink. He was glad the lights were off because the boner situation hadn’t quite died down yet.

“I brought vodka and OJ. You want?” Adam asked.

“Sure, yeah.”

“What were you watching that made you conk out like that?”

“Oh, a movie for class. It was pretty good actually. Kind of old school screwball comedy of errors. But I’m just so wiped I fell asleep. I needed to pull an all-nighter last night editing and then had classes all today. Not fun.”

“You still up for going to this thing tonight?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“We’ve got like an hour before we’re supposed to meet them. Want to just watch a movie and relax before we need to go?”

“You mean you want to Netflix and chill with me?” Mikael smirked.

“Ha-ha. In the literal sense, yeah. No black and white movies, though. I can’t deal with all those Classics and shit you be watching all the time.”

“Most of them aren’t so bad. Some are boring as hell.”

“Want to watch the train ride for a bit?”

“Fuck yeah.”

They sat side by side on the bed, leaning up against the wall. Elias and Mutta didn’t understand why Mikael and Adam liked Slow TV so much. They thought it was boring as fuck but Adam found it relaxing. The train ride one he especially liked. He found the motion hypnotic and calming and the chime that sounded after each kilometer was almost like a prayer bell. After a day of hustling around it felt good to take a pause to watch the scenery float by and focus on how good his body felt next to Mikael’s. After a few minutes Mikael picked up a pillow and put it on Adam’s lap so he could lay on his side with his head on the pillow between Adam’s knees. Adam tucked Mikael’s hair behind his ear and tried to pay attention to the screen but all he could think about was wanting to kiss Mikael’s ear and how close Mikael’s lips currently were to his dick.

He kind of wished they’d suggested they watch porn so they could get off in front of each other again. They hadn’t done that for awhile and Adam didn’t know how to ask without feeling weird about it. Especially since they were about to go on a date with two girls. Dates that would hopefully end with one or both of them hooking up with said girls if they were lucky? But that was later and his dick was shouting _now now now_ at him.

He combed his fingers through Mikael’s hair and rubbed his temple.

“That feels good,” Mikael said, loosening his jaw. “I’ve got a little bit of a headache.”

“Yeah? You want me to give you a shoulder rub or something?”

“I’m okay, thanks.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

“So classes are stressing you out?”

“Yeah, I’ve got like two essays and two exams and a big final video project due in three weeks. It’s cool, though. And I’ve been trying to get my application together for doing a study abroad at NYU next year.”

Adam pulled his hand back. “You didn’t tell me you were planning on going away. What the fuck?”

“What?”

“That’s just, like, a really big deal. Would you be gone for the whole school year?”

“If I get in, yeah.”

“Holy shit.”

“I think all my old films from Bakka suck so I’m going to apply using one of the projects from this semester but I just need to finish them first. We’ll see. I doubt I’ll get in.”

“Your stuff is really good. Of course you’ll get in.”

“Meh. Maybe. I’m not gonna get my hopes up. I can always apply again next year. I’ve just been feeling like I need a change from Oslo.”

“Why?”

Mikael sighed. “I just, I don’t know, feel stuck or something. I kind of want to go somewhere where no one knows me. Where my parents can’t breathe down my neck all the time. Where no one expects me to be a certain way and gets disappointed when I can’t live up to their idea of me.”

Adam’s heart was racing. The idea of Mikael being gone for a whole year, of him wanting to get away from his friends and family, of him maybe coming back an entirely different person? It was too much for him to process right now. He got up from the bed and downed another drink.

“Well thanks for the heads up and all. Nice to know you care enough about me to fill me in on such a big decision.”

“What the fuck dude? Why are you pissed? I literally decided to look at the application like a week ago.”

“But you must have been feeling this way for a long time.”

“What way?”

“Like you said, all stuck and shit. Unhappy.”

“I’m not unhappy. My parents have just been giving me a hard time recently. I’m sick of it.”

“A hard time about what?”

“Just…like with my dancing. They thought it was cool when I was younger and had such a big youtube following but they never encouraged me to take it further and turn it into an actual career. And now with filmmaking I can tell they’re the same way. They don’t think it’s worth it to spend all this money on tuition for a field they don’t think is going to go anywhere. So I have to take all these economics and business classes, which I hate. And if I move to New York it’ll be expensive and so I need to save some money this summer. And I’m sure they’ll think if I move there I’ll become even more of a shitty Muslim. Whatever I do I feel like I’m letting them down.”

“You’re so talented. There’s no way you could let them down.”

Mikael scoffed.

“I’m serious. Come here,” Adam said and enveloped him in a big hug. Mikael leaned his head on Adam’s chest and the constriction Adam had felt since Mikael told him he’d be going to New York lessened a little bit. “Have you talked to them about this stuff? Your parents are super cool and I’m sure they just want what’s best for you. You just need to talk to them, okay?”

Mikael shrugged. “Talking isn’t always as easy as it sounds.”

“You can practice on me. What would you tell them?”

“Shit, dude. I guess I’d just say. Mom and Dad, I love you. I’ve always tried to be a good son and a good Muslim and live my life in a way that makes you proud, but I need to live my own life and make my own choices. I want to study filmmaking and turn that into my career whichever way I can. I want to do a study abroad year in New York. I want to travel the world, too, maybe. Meet all sorts of people and have all sorts of experiences. And I think I’m pansexual.”

“Wait, what?”


	2. Chapter 2

Mikael hadn’t planned to tell Adam right then, but his mouth opened and the words were out of his lips before his brain got the memo that this could potentially change his friendship with Adam forever. Just like he hadn’t planned to pretend to keep sleeping when Adam came into his room and sidled up behind him on his bed. Just like Mikael hadn’t planned for his body to react on instinct by pressing back into Adam and feeling the unmistakable pressure between their two bodies. A pressure that gave Mikael the courage he needed to speak aloud what had been eating away at him for months, probably years if he was being totally honest, even though right now his body felt like it might be going into nuclear meltdown mode from nervousness about how Adam would react to the news.

Mikael had come out to his family and friends so many times in his head it actually felt surreal to finally hear the words “I think I’m pansexual” coming out of his own mouth. It felt like he was having an out of body experience, or watching himself through a camera. He’d written pages of dialogue about this possible moment, but all that prep work evaporated on the spot when he felt Adam draw away from their hug, limbs suddenly rigid. For a brief moment Mikael considered shrugging it off, laughing it off as a joke. But what was that saying about toothpaste being impossible to get back in the tube once it was squeezed out? He’d wanted to tell him, so he told him. And if coming out changed things between them….well he couldn’t think about that right at this very second.

He turned away from Adam and poured himself a drink of water, not wanting to meet Adam’s eyes for a minute. Why had he just blurted it out like that? With no build up! No warning! Adam probably felt blindsided. Ugh. He went through his mental cache of the many ways he’d story-boarded out and fantasized about this moment, which were all going up in smoke before his eyes.

_Scenario 1 (Unrealistic BS Romantic Comedy): Mikael comes out to Adam. Their eyes lock, spurring Adam into a montage of past moments that seemed simply platonic but are now imbued with romantic and lusty undertones. Mikael gives Adam a romantic token—a beer cap from the first night they hung out together, maybe, or a piece of smooth sea glass Adam idly picked up and discarded on a trip to the beach, which Mikael then secretly kept this whole time—and Mikael says something trite like, “It’s always been you.”_

Nope. Not gonna happen. Puke central. Mikael knew it was puke worthy even as his brain insisted that something like that was maybe in the realm of possibility.

_Scenario 2 (Kick-Ass Sci Fi Action Blockbuster): Mikael comes out to Adam while they are in the middle of battling evil alien brain suckers or possibly a zombie apocalypse. They are cornered, probably going to die, but determined to fight heroically until the bitter end. “I love you, Adam. I’ve always loved you,” Mikael says and they passionately kiss while continuing to fire their stunners at the encroaching enemy. At the last minute they’re aided by their friends-in-arms and later that night, alone, they celebrate their victory by having buck-wild sex that levels up the movie to an NC-17 rating._

That one had been heavily inspired by some Poe and Finn fanfic Mikael had “happened upon” on tumblr. Still a nope, though, given the current setting of Mikael’s dorm room with not an alien or zombie in sight.

_Scenario 3 (“Gritty” Mumblecore Art House Indie): Mikael comes out to Adam. Adam doesn’t say anything, just turns and walks out the door. Mikael, heartbroken, goes on a long-ass roadtrip all over Europe. He does lots of drugs, maybe has a few run-ins with dissolutes, wanderers, shamans and the law. Years later, he happens upon Adam by chance, on the top of a mountain, at dawn. Both men have full beards and crows feet around their eyes. Recognition dawns upon their haggard faces. They look at each other and embrace. “I’m sorry,” Adam whispers. “For what?” Mikael asks. “That I wasted all this time without you.”_

Ugh. Blech. No no no. Why had Mikael even come up with that scenario? He must have just watched _Brokeback Mountain_ (for the tenth time) and felt in a sentimental suffering mood.

Mikael was startled out of his thoughts by Adam’s hand on his shoulder.

“Hey that’s cool, dude,” Adam said.

“Yeah?” Mikael turned around to meet his friend's eyes. They looked a little confused, maybe, but not repulsed thank god.

“Yeah totally. Since when have you…you know…been…or known...that you're whatever exactly pansexual is?”

“You mean you don’t know what it means?”

“Is it the one where you’re into dating a lot of people at once? Like thrupples and shit?”

“No, you’re probably thinking of poly. Pan is sort of like being bi, but it feels better to me than bi. Basically it's being attracted to people of all gender identities. Feels more inclusive to people who are, you know, gender fluid or nonbinary or genderqueer or trans or whatever.”

“Aaaah,” Adam said in a drawn out way that made Mikael think those were all terms he was probably not too familiar with but he was still trying hard to be supportive, which Mikael appreciated. The whole thing about being really celebratory of nonbinary people was what drew Mikael to the idea of pansexuality. Mikael's older sister had loved painting his nails and doing his hair since they were little kids. Mikael had liked how that made him feel since as long as he could remember, but it wasn't until recently that he decided to stop taking the nail polish off when he went out in public. He wasn't sure what that meant in terms of his own gender identity, but it was partially why he'd intuitively gravitated toward identifying as pan when he'd read about it online. 

“I’ve been thinking about it for a long time and pan just feels right to me. Can’t really explain it. But right now it’s like I’m more pan in my head than anything else. I mean, I’ve only ever kissed one guy before. And that turned out…not so great.”

Mikael and Adam had jerked off next each other but never kissed, as desperately as Mikael had wanted to. That was a line he wasn’t sure Adam was ever going to cross.

“You mean Even?”

“Yeah.”

“But you liked it. When Even kissed you?”

“I mean, you know, at the time I freaked out. But I’ve had time to think about it and…yeah. I liked it. But it was way too much to handle. I was scared of what it meant that I liked it. And you know, he was with Sonja, and then everything else that happened with him posting all that stuff from the Quran made me even more scared, which I know, totally sucks. And then he stopped talking to me and I just felt so confused. But I prayed a lot. And the answer always seemed to be that love is love and a loving god would never judge someone about who they love. And when I saw Even at karaoke with Isak, and saw how happy he was with him, it just…stirred up a lot of shit. More than anything I felt like a coward for how everything went down with him and how I wasn’t there for him when he needed me.”

“You’re not a coward. Even had his own shit to deal with. None of what happened was your fault.”

“I know. I just know I could have been a better friend to him.”

“We tried. You know we did.”

“He’s doing so much better now, it’s like you can see this big weight was lifted off his shoulders. But the idea of being out…of telling my parents. Shit. It scares me.”

“So don’t tell them yet. Not until you’re ready.”

“You’re sure you’re okay with this?”

“Dude. Of course. Why wouldn’t I? It doesn’t change anything. You’re still my best bud, right?” Adam punched Mikael in the shoulder in the most buddy-buddy way possible.

“Right. Totally.”

“We can talk about this more later, but we’d better head out if we’re gonna meet up with the girls. You still up for this?”

“Sure, yeah. Of course. Wouldn’t want to cockblock your date with my issues.”

“Thanks, dude. Hey, come here.” Adam pulled Mikael in for a hug. “Thanks for telling me.”

Mikael relaxed into the familiar solidity of his friend’s body. He was really grateful that Adam was taking the news so well and that he didn’t appear to be freaking out.

* * *

Adam was quietly, and to the outside eye nearly imperceptibly, freaking out. He hugged Mikael, which wasn’t weird because they hugged and touched each other in a friendly way all the time, but now it was like every one of his brain cells was microscope-level hyperaware of the hug and the way his body was reacting to it. But maybe that was because of the three drinks he’d downed so quickly; everything felt magnified and more electrically charged when he was tipsy. Besides, Mikael was as greedy as a kitten for physical affection; he was practically always begging to be pet and caressed. Touching Mikael felt good, that was no surprise, because it always felt good. He was his best friend. His best friend who was apparently into guys. And girls. And everyone in between? Which was totally cool. That part wasn’t what was freaking him out. What was freaking him out was that, sure, yeah, there was a part of him that had always thought other guys were hot. But he didn’t dwell too much on it. He enjoyed watching porn with dudes in it, but he never sought out porn with _just_ dudes. When obviously gay guys hit on him, he didn’t mind, he felt flattered even, but he didn’t try to lead anyone on like that. He’d never kissed a guy. Not that the idea of kissing a guy wasn’t intriguing, just to see if it felt different than kissing a girl. There was the whole circle jerking with friends thing, but again, lots of guys did that, it was never anything to make a big deal about. None of that meant he was bi or pan or whatever too. Did it? Being not-straight hadn’t ever been in the plan for his life. It made things more complicated than they needed to be. With his religion. His family. His future. He was happy for Mikael, though. Stuff had obviously been weighing on him. He squeezed him a little tighter.

“Does anyone else know?” he asked, though he was pretty sure he knew the answer already.

Mikael shook his head. “You’re the first person I’ve told. I’ve barely said it out loud before.”

“You gonna tell Elias and the guys, you think?” he asked. “I mean, if you don’t want to tell them that’s cool, too. You know none of them will care either, right? And we’ll be there for you when—and if—you decide to tell you parents.”

“Thanks, man.”

“Sure thing, Mikey. Thanks for telling me. Trusting me. Now let’s go have fun and forget all the shit that’s been dragging you down. Shake it off, T-Swift style.”

Mikael snorted. “You’re right, there’s no personal or sexual crisis that can’t be sweat out on the dance floor.”

“Damn straight. Or not so straight, in your case.”

“Ha ha.” Mikael punched him on the arm and Adam swatted him back as they gathered their jackets and put their shoes on.

“Not to totally change the subject if you’re still wanting to talk about serious stuff. But have you ever jerked off in a banana peel before?” Adam asked.

Mikael laughed. "Okay, end scene on the part of the night where I bare my soul to you. That was the non-sequitor of the century. And yeah, duh, I have. Hasn’t everyone?”

“Thank you! That’s what I thought. But I mentioned it to Yousef earlier and he was like, shook. I was like, dude. Everyone jerks into banana peels when you’re like, 14, and desperate to get off with anything that’s not your damn hand all the time.”

Mikael laughed. “I had the banana technique down to an art. I’d cut the end off and squeeze out the banana so I wouldn’t have to unpeel it and it’d stay together the whole time.”

“Damn, why didn’t I think of that? I’d try to peel it halfway to keep it together but by the end I'd be trying to hold all the pieces together and it’d be a total fucking mess. You’re like the McGuyver genius of jerking it.”

Mikael used his pointy finger and tapped the top of his head to show he was fully aware of his genius.

“I would also use the banana to practice other things, just to see what it felt like,” Mikael said and wiggled his eyebrows. Adam’s jaw practically smacked the floor. Mikael laughed at Adam’s reaction and stuck out his tongue in a playful way. For some reason, that gesture went straight to Adam’s dick. His jacket was on, though, so he didn’t think Mikael noticed the sudden boner tent. They needed to get to this date with Eva and Noora yesterday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you may have thought this fic would again never see the light of day! but plot twist, i'm bringing it back from the dead! thanks for the nice comments, they're the reason i was inspired to dust this off and try to finish it off!!!


	3. Chapter 3

Puck liked their new gig. It’d been awhile (maybe a few decades?) since they’d spent much time in the North and being above ground on the cusp of summer was a welcome change from the dank tunnels of the Court. Fresh air! Vitamin D! What novel concepts. Puck was convinced one of the reasons shadiness ran rampant in the fairy community was that everyone was literally stuck in the dark shade all the time. Made the folk constantly be acting a fool. Puck didn’t know when their boss would get off his current bender long enough to figure out they’d gone AWOL and drag them back home but they were making the most of their freedom and the extended daylight hours of summer while they could.

The new gig was glorified bartending, but at least Puck blended in easily enough with all the human actors since the bar was in the lobby area for _A Midsummer Night’s Dream_ done up in a trussed-up factory setting (which reminded Puck more of a laser tag arena than the actual Court). But humans had truly laughable ideas about what being of the fairy persuasion was actually like. The original text this particular show was based on wasn’t too atrocious, but that was only because William had basically plagiarized Puck word for word. Too bad copyright laws hadn’t really been a thing in Elizabethan England.

While serving up pre-show drinks, Puck checked out the crowd mulling around waiting for the show to begin, idling tapping into psychic energies to see if there was anyone with anything mildly interesting going on under the surface. Puck was always surprised but how little actually beamed around in most humans’ brains at any given moment. Lots of abhorrently catchy pop tunes, lots of thinking about food and sex. Puck’s eyes latched onto a group of four people in their late teens/early twenties. Two boys and two girls, probably on a date from the feel of their body language and the nervous small talk they were trying to make. Puck tapped into their energies, interest piqued in particular by one of the boys with longish brown hair and a beautiful smile that looked a little forced and the blond girl next to him who was trying to put on a brave and happy face but was still swathed in sadness. Bouncing around between the group Puck sensed friendship, protectiveness, yearning, desire, uncertainty, fondness, excitement, fear, jealousy, sadness, tipsiness, and eagerness. Strong currents of sexual tension swirled back and forth between them with no particular trajectory, making it hard to discern from way across the room what the dynamic was between them all. Especially since none of these people were straight, regardless of what they were telling themselves. Huh. A challenge. Puck liked a challenge.

* * *

Noora looked around the lobby bar and tried to muster up some enthusiasm for the double date and the show/dance they were all about to attend. The lobby was beautifully decorated with an astonishing amount of fairy lights and paper lanterns and bunches of cascading purple flowers that filled the room with a heady scent. Wisteria. That’s what the flowers were called. They reminded Noora of the long spidery branches of weeping willow trees, which of course reminded her of kissing William by those trees by the river in Little Venice in London, back before she realized that he would never be the person she had wanted him so desperately to be. Back when it seemed like finding happiness with another person would be easy and natural and not fraught with bitterness and disappointment.

“…right, Noora?” Eva nudged her shoulder and Noora realized with embarrassment she had spaced out on the group’s conversation. Again.

“Ummm…sorry it’s hard to hear with this background music.”

“Mikael was just saying that he never goes to theater but so far this looks really cool,” Eva helpfully filled Noora in.

“Yeah. It’s really pretty in here.”

“The twinkly lights make it all romantic and shit. I mean, stuff. Sorry,” Mikael said and blushed. Noora thought he was cute, maybe even cute enough to kiss if he seemed like he’d be game, but she wasn’t picking up any flirtation from him at all. Eva and Adam seemed pretty into each other, though. They’d already taken at least 20 selfies together and they’d only been on this date for 20 minutes. Granted, Eva had insisted that Noora be in most of those selfies, too, but still. There was such a thing as selfie overkill, but Eva’s tendency when she was in the mood to party was to be as bubbly and energetic as possible. Noora could tell Eva really wanted to have a good time tonight so she mentally chastised herself for being a Debbie Downer and tried once more to engage in the group’s conversation.

“And if we’re ready for gummies, I’d say now’s the time. The show’s supposed to start in like five minutes,” Eva said with a cute eyebrow wiggle and pulled a little plastic baggie out of her purse.

Right. The gummies. Noora usually preferred staying sober and in control. But she’d been so in her head recently that she felt like if she could just turn off her brain for awhile and enjoy a night of sights, sounds and sensations without the creeping sadness weighing down her every thought then maybe she’d finally be able to drop the spectre of William that refused to let her move on and live her life fully and happily. Maybe she’d have the phoenix rising from the ashes moment that was the stuff of fairy tales, but never real life.

Eva split the gummies in half and passed them out.

“Here goes nothing,” Eva said just as all the lights in the lobby dropped out except for a single spotlight on the bar. The bartender hopped up on the bar and all eyes went immediately to the most striking person Noora had ever seen.


End file.
